1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink-jet head.
2. Description of the Related Art
The application of ink-jet technology has expanded beyond the field of the graphics industry, for making prints on paper and fabric, etc., to the field of manufacturing, for example, printed circuit boards and electronic parts, such as LCD panels, etc. Accordingly, the ink-jet head is required to provide higher performance in modern applications.
An ink-jet head is a device that performs a printing operation by converting an electrical signal into a physical force to eject ink droplets through a number of nozzles. An ink-jet head can be composed of a chamber for holding the ink, a piezoelectric component coupled to one side of the chamber to directly apply pressure to the chamber, and a nozzle coupled to the other side of the chamber.
When voltage is applied to the piezoelectric component, the deformation of the piezoelectric component can apply pressure to the chamber, so that ink may be ejected through the nozzle. As the pressure generated by the piezoelectric component may be used directly in ejecting the ink, the piezoelectric properties of the piezoelectric component are a major factor in determining the ejection properties of the ink-jet head.
However, the ejection properties required of current ink-jet heads may be difficult to achieve using a piezoelectric component that directly applies pressure to the chamber. An ink-jet head based on this type of structure may thus be limited in providing improved performance.